Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Vanity Fair

Last night I watched Vanity Fair on Netflix, Watch Instantly. I had seen it about ten years ago and really liked it then. I was curious to watch it again, as I recently got a little over halfway through the sprawling novel.

The novel is satirical and goofy and makes fun of all the characters. The film too mocks a number of people, but largely it is presented as a drama, and I think this was a good choice.

The story has a lot of dramatic elements, following the social climbing on Becky Sharp, who largely relies on her charm and wit (get it? "Sharp"?). I thought Reese Witherspoon was wonderful in this role, feigning sweetness and sincerity while scheming and keeping her eye on the prize. The interrelated story lines all captivated my attention, and I found the movie satisfying.

There is one thing I'm curious about. In an online description I read of the novel, they mention something happening at the end that didn't happen in the movie. I don't want to say what it was, because it was an intense plot point. This makes me want to revisit the book, just to get to this possible ending.